Marion County RECORD

BREAKING NEWS

Last week’s blue-green algae warning for Marion County Lake was downgraded Thursday to a less serious watch.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment is advising that humans, pets, or livestock avoid contact with lake water, especially in areas where algae blooms are present.

More than a third of an entire year’s worth of rainfall coming in just three weeks caused widespread flooding, stranded motorists, closed heavily traveled roads, briefly prompted an evacuation, and pushed already swollen Marion Reservoir over its capacity for only the second time in history Tuesday.
If the near historic rainfall wasn’t enough, substantially more rain is expected tonight through Memorial Day and perhaps beyond.

When Marion resident Cindy Buckner saw her dog, Piper, behaving oddly in April, it was clear there was something wrong.
“Piper wasn’t acting right,” she said. “It was little things; she wasn’t eating food or treats. She goes down with me to let the chickens out, and she wasn’t doing that.”

Marion’s baseball team has to be getting tired of Mother Nature.
She threw a monkey wrench in the Warriors’ practices at the beginning of the season, and washed out Marion’s final two games of the regular season.

County commissioners balked Monday at paying a bill from Wichita attorney Pat Hughes that includes consultations regarding a proposed wind farm in the south portion of the county.
The bill, for the month of April with a balance forward from an unpaid bill for March, totals $9,575. Of that, $2,350 is for March consultations and $7,350 is for April consultations, but not all items involved Expedition Wind Farm.

Lincolnville feedlot owner Mike Beneke will purchase the former Pizza Hut building on US-56 north of Marion.
The restaurant abruptly closed in the fall of 2016 after 22 years in Marion.

Burdick
Burdick area services will be at 9:45 a.m. at Diamond Springs Cemetery, 10:15 a.m. at Mission Valley Cemetery, 10:30 a.m. at Burdick United Methodist Church Cemetery, and 11 a.m. at Hebron Lutheran Cemetery.

The Bowron Building at 3rd and Main Sts. will soon be open again — at least temporarily.
National Renewable Solutions, developers of the proposed Expedition Wind Farm, have signed a contract with Marion Advancement Campaign to lease the building from May 15 to Aug. 15.

Business owners looking to promote Marion-area tourism got less money than they asked county commissioners for Monday.
Historic Elgin Hotel owner Tammy Ensey, representing Marion Merchants Association, asked for $15,375 in transient guest tax receipts to pay for signs directing visitors to a travel information center at the Elgin, television advertising, and publishing a brochure of tourist attractions.

Opponents of a wind farm proposed for the southern portion of the county have made good on their threats to sue the company that hopes to develop it.
A petition was filed Thursday in district court by Overland Park lawyers Robert Harken and Robert Titus on behalf of 15 wind farm opponents. The petition seeks a judge’s review, declaratory relief, and a temporary restraining order. It also claims the state open records act was violated.

As a public hearing for a proposed cell phone tower in Marion draws near, city council members on Monday signed a document agreeing to extend the date for it to take place.
The hearing will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Marion community room, as agreed between the city and the cell phone company in March. A hearing was scheduled for late February, but the company planning to build the tower and city officials agreed to extend the date for the hearing as late as July 2. The proposal to build a 129-foot Verizon cell phone tower in Marion has sparked backlash from neighbors. Neighbors contend the city failed to follow the law by not clearly specifying the proposed location of the tower, Commercial and Forest Sts., in a public notice and not mailing letters to them 20 days before the originally-scheduled February hearing.

Bruce Skiles is a man who needs something to keep him busy — even after he retires in a few years.
After starting a medical career as a chiropractor and then becoming an anesthetist, Skiles bought a downtown building he fixed up before he sold it, and then bought and renovated two houses at the county lake.

Most everyone should find a place to go over Memorial Day weekend. Events include a Saturday car show in Burns, a Sunday motorcycle cruise at Peabody, and a Monday small engine show at Lehigh.
Burns

Flood damage is expensive and can cause irreparable damage to a vehicle, said Barry Allen, owner of Webster’s Auto in Marion.
“It depends how much water you get into,” he said. “We’ve had vehicles ingest water into the engine while running and damage it. It can be catastrophic.”

Irene Finley, 88, Herington, died May 15 at the Legacy of Herington. Services were Tuesday at Lyona Methodist Church in Junction City.
She was born Aug. 10, 1930, at Junction City to Ralph William and Pearl Irene Latzke.

Land. It’s more than an investment to be tilled and toiled. For many, it’s the reason ancestors came here and the legacy left behind for descendants to steward.
Whether progeny of an old generation of settlers — or pioneers of a new generation, ascending from urban and suburban life to a more bucolic existence — people become rooted in their land.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

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CORRECTIONS:

Judy Houdyshell, 64, and her husband, 69, of rural Antelope, both have ancestors who fought for the Union army during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
Roy Houdyshell’s family traces back four generations to that time, while Judy’s family traces back six generations.

Chaplain Louise Whiteman gave a special program, “The Magic of Remembrance,” to members of PEO Chapter DB May 13 at Eastmoor Church.
The program was a tribute to members of the Chapter Eternal. Hostesses were Pam Byer and Eileen Sieger.

Sunshine Country Preschool celebrated a graduation ceremony May 15.
After they were introduced and saluted the flag, the class sang a few of its favorite songs.

Neo-Century members and guests enjoyed a meal catered by Carlsons’ catering at 6:30 p.m. May 6 during their business meeting.
The group arranged to provide six fruit baskets to Marion shut-ins this summer.

An open house for Marion’s new Emergency Medical Services station Saturday drew more than 100 people despite torrential rain.
With water seeping under the south bay doors and reaching halfway to the north end of the building, a constant flow of people came to see the building, listen to speeches and eat a lunch of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and roast brisket.

MEMORIES:

MEMORIES IN FOCUS:

Anne Baliel says pole vaulting isn’t just about winning or breaking the school’s record — it’s also about family.
“With my dad doing it, I always wanted to do it too,” she said. “I knew about it because he did it. Tying his record in middle school was cool.”

Xavier Espinoza has been one of the Centre High School track team’s best chances at a state title for the last three years.
The Cougar graduate ran his count to eight for qualifying events overall Friday, with Centre competing at the Burlington regional.

Several members of the class of 2019 played a role in their graduation Sunday at Centre High School.
Grace Knepp gave the invocation, Xavier Espinoza gave the address, and Kyle Naerebout gave the introduction. Several of their classmates sang in the Centre choir.

Anna Godinez-Vinduska, a fourth-grader at Centre Elementary School, received recognition at a special student assembly Monday for achieving a perfect 380 score in state assessments in both reading and math.
Superintendent Susan Beeson said this was the first time a student had received a perfect score in two subject areas.